A New Ally, Part I

---Indigo---

"Indigo, have you heard the latest news?" Lucian burst into the room, Rachel hot on his heels. I looked up from the map I was studying.

"What is it?"

"Lord Victor begun his attacks. His army of Evils have already swept through eight towns and twenty-three villages, and they're not stopping. It's total destruction no matter if the people resisted or not." Lucian gestured to Rachel, who pulled out a stack of wrinkled reports and local news from her magical satchel. She leafed through them and took out one sheet, smoothing it out to show me.

"Look at these statistics. Greenwood: four hundred fifty two dead, forty-three missing, and three hundred injured. Pinemoor: nine hundred thirty dead and one thousand injured. Knightmount, six hundred twenty dead…" Rachel ran her finger down through the list, until she got to several names at the bottom. "Amberwell: all three thousand inhabitants dead. Moonspire: all four hundred inhabitants dead. There's also Craigville and Milford…In each case, all the houses are looted, and then the entire town or village is burned."

I skimmed over the death tolls and saw in my mind's eye the path of destruction Lord Victor's army left behind. Among the dead, I seemed to see flashes of Aaron and Katherine's bodies. 'Even after all this time, I am unable to forget you…'

"We can't delay anymore. We have to make our move." I stood up and walked to the window, looking out towards the Northern Mountains. Its peaks were capped with white, and I knew that the passes would be filled with snow soon. For the past two months we had stayed here, in the small town of Dewsbury, planning our next move. The town was only about two weeks' travel from the Northern Mountains, and it was the largest community in a fifty-mile radius. We have been residing in the manor of an unlikely sponsor—a young man named Lionel Atwood.

Lionel was nineteen, making him just a couple years older than us. He was the only son of a rich but generous merchant living in Dewsbury. The townspeople all knew the Atwood family, who, despite their wealth and prestige, was never aloof and snobby. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood were a kind couple who donated to charities and helped the less fortunate. Lionel, like his parents, was a just and compassionate person. He was very intelligent, being not only a well-versed scholar in literature and the arts, but also a talented warrior.

We met him on our way to Dewsbury. As we rode our horses and tried to make it to the town before nightfall, we almost didn't see the overturned cart and dead bodies by the side of the road. It was Rachel who spotted the blood on the dirt road and called out in alarm. Upon closer inspection, we found that the cart was carrying food, medical supplies, and a small amount of weapons such as pikes, swords, and long knives. The dead bore claw wounds rimmed with black—a sure sign of dark magic.

"Evils." Rachel whispered with fear. "The Evils are here."

"They're still here," Lucian added, peering into the small grove of trees that lined the road. "I think they've surrounded someone."

Sure enough, in a small clearing, we saw three Evils circling around a young man who was clearly wounded. He had blood all over his white Bastian shirt and black trousers. He brandished a broadsword, eyeing the Evils warily and slashing at them if they got too close, but it was clear he couldn't hold on for much longer. The Evils grinned menacingly and swooped in for the kill. The young man swung his sword and tried his best to fend off the monsters, but he was outnumbered and outmatched. For an instant, his face turned toward us. I saw the anguish and desperation in his doe brown eyes. Aaron's profile flashed in my mind.

"We have to help him!" I hissed towards Lucian and Rachel. Without waiting for a reply, I charged out from behind the trees and stabbed the nearest Evil straight through, remembering to mutter the rosewood spell that Ashley taught us so long ago. A small beam of light shone within the Evil's body; then with a tormented cry, the Evil exploded into a handful of black, glittery powder.

Another Evil leapt for me, its claws outstretched. At the same time, the third Evil lunged for Rachel. I jumped out of the way just as Lucian sent a burst of flames through his palms, frying both Evils at once. As the monsters growled and tried to recover from being burned, Rachel and I activated the rosewood tips of our swords and each stabbed an Evil through its heart. The clearing quieted, with only our heavy breathing echoing in our ears.

"W-who are you?" The young man looked at us cautiously, still in shock over what he just saw. "How did you kill the Evils? Are you—are you the Rosewood Seven?"

I didn't answer him as I eyed him up and down. He looked like a trustworthy person, but we couldn't risk anyone knowing who we are. "Rachel, can you perform a memory-wiping spell?"

"No, please! Please don't!" The young man dropped his sword to plead with us, but winced as he pulled on a wound. Blood dripped down a gash on his ribcage. "I'm actually the leader of a rebel group dedicated to fighting against Lord Victor. My parents were killed by Lord Victor and his army of Evils. I have information on his activity and whereabouts. If you are part of the Rosewood Seven, I can help you! Please don't wipe my memory!" His words tumbled out in a rush as he tried to explain himself.

Lucian raised an eyebrow. "How do we know you're not lying?"

"I was literally just being attacked by Evils. If I was working with Lord Victor, why would I go through this trouble of hurting myself to get your attention when I could just send an army after you?" Despite his growing pain, the young man clenched his teeth and continued to reason with us. "Please, I'm telling the truth. I swear on my parents' dead bodies and my honor. I can help you defeat Lord Victor. I…"

He collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily. I nodded for Rachel to go and examine his wounds. Lying or not, he needed to be alive for us to get information out of him.